FdA Counselling

This module provides a detailed overview of a core model for counselling, exploring its historical background and current relevance. How does this model apply in practice, and what interventions does it offer? You’ll gain an understanding of its theoretical and practical foundations, while learning how it’s used in real-world counselling scenarios. The exact content of the module may vary depending on the institution's chosen core model, shaped by the expertise of the teaching staff. Professional bodies recommend that all counselling students master a core model as it forms a strong base for exploring other approaches.

This module explores the personal and professional skills required to practise as a counsellor. What are the ethical, legal, and practical issues that you need to understand before embarking on a clinical placement? Through lectures, seminars, and tutor-facilitated reflective groups, you’ll prepare for your future clinical practice. You'll develop self-awareness and learn how to assess your developmental needs by using a personal journal, tracking your growth throughout the year. Each week, reflective group discussions will dive into different aspects of counselling, helping you to connect personal and professional insights as you start your clinical practice journey.

This module combines teaching practical counselling methods with hands-on experience. You’ll engage in exercises, demonstrations, and roleplays in triads, taking turns as the client, counsellor, and observer. Recording your sessions will help you reflect, learn from your practice, and create material for assessment. You’ll also get written feedback from both peers and tutors to support your development. Throughout, you’ll track your progress in a personal journal, preparing for your final assessment. Which role are you most excited to try: client, counsellor, or observer?

This module covers key issues in counselling theory, practice, and evidence, focusing on real world challenges. You’ll explore topics like the regulation of psychological professions, how limits in counselling practice are set, and other important areas include the impact of a counsellor’s personal beliefs, working with mental health, addiction, trauma, and diverse client populations, as well as the role of supervision. You’ll also examine emerging issues like working with perpetrators of crime, climate anxiety, and the risks of new technologies, such as AI and chatbots in counselling.

You’ll explore the similarities and differences between these approaches and reassess the theories behind your first-year core model. The module also focuses on counselling integration, looking at the benefits, challenges, and potential downsides in practice. How can you apply different counselling approaches to your work? In this module, you’ll evaluate new methods, understand their ethical issues, and reflect on how they fit into your practice.

In this module, you'll use your developing skills to practise counselling in a real-world setting. You'll undertake supervised counselling practice in a placement setting with support from staff and peers to enhance your skills. You'll then share your experiences of counselling practice while drawing on your personal journal and anonymised casework material recorded in practice.

How can your personal experiences shape your professional practice? In this experimental module, you’ll explore the connection between personal development and counselling skills, gaining a deeper understanding of both. You’ll have the chance to explore your own self-awareness and gain deeper insights through meaningful discussions with your peers in a Personal Development Group led by a group facilitator. The focus is on how your personal and professional selves as a counsellor develop in relationship with others. Throughout the module, you’ll keep a personal journal to track your growth and reflect on your development, which will also help you with your assessments.

This module will allow you to learn about specific issues of theory, evidence, and practice pertinent to working with certain problems and types of clients in a counselling context. Examples may include mental health problems, working with diversity to become culturally competent, grief and loss, family therapy techniques, relationship problems, and victims of abuse. You'll consider the role of advocacy, mediation, non-managerial supervision, and other roles outside the normal counselling role, as well as discuss areas of controversy and debate in counselling.

How can you apply your counselling skills in a professional setting? In this module, you’ll find a clinical placement to complete 100 hours of supervised counselling practice. During this time, you’ll work with an experienced counsellor who'll provide clinical supervision, helping you apply the skills and knowledge you’ve learned during the course in a real-world setting. Throughout your placement, you’ll gain experience managing the therapeutic process, using supervision effectively, and understanding the policies and procedures of a counselling organisation. You’ll also develop essential professional skills and learn about clinical governance to ensure good counselling practice. This placement is a professional requirement for becoming a qualified counsellor, and completing it will help you meet that standard.